Information ministers of Qatar-boycotting countries to hold meeting in Bahrain

The information ministers of Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia are set to hold talks about their ongoing diplomatic boycott of Qatar in Manama on 25 October, state agency MENA reported on Tuesday.

In statements to the agency, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Media, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, said that the ministers would discuss the latest developments in the crisis with Qatar, as well as coordination between the countries on the role of media in combating terrorism.

According to Ahmed, mechanisms of joint coordination between the information and foreign ministers would be included in the talks, as well as a preparation for an upcoming meeting in the UAE.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE severed diplomatic and transport links with Doha on 5 June, accusing the oil-rich state of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs, sparking the region’s worst diplomatic dispute in years.

Doha denies the charges levelled against it.

The four Arab nations demand that Doha comply with six principles, including a commitment to combating terrorism and ending what they describe as acts of incitement and interference in the internal affairs of other Arab countries.

They also demand that Qatr abide by a list of 13 demands, which include ending its support for the Muslim Brotherhood group, shutting down the Doha-based Al-Jazeera media company, closing a Turkish military base and downgrading its ties with Iran.

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